The Radiology Department at the Lausanne University Hospital , Switzerland (Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, CHUV), is looking for a PhD Position in Integrative Data Analysis for Developmental Cognitive Neurosciences.
The Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) is one of five Swiss university hospitals. Through its collaboration with the Faculty of Biology and Medicine of the University of Lausanne and the EPFL, CHUV plays a leading role in the areas of medical care, medical research and training.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Neurodevelopmental disorders are common and have a lifelong impact on the lives of the children affected and their families. Progress toward a better characterisation of neurodevelopmental disorders and their underlying neurobiological mechanisms and risk factors has been slow. Substantial evidence show that all neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - 5th Edition (DSM-5) share common alterations of the corpus callosum – i.e., the largest white matter bundle in the brain connecting the two cerebral hemispheres. In typical development, the corpus callosum, allowing efficient inter-hemispheric communication, plays a crucial role for cognitive functioning. Therefore, callosal characteristics could provide a relevant and so far under-explored biomarker of cognitive functioning during development.
The overall goal of this doctoral position will be to explore cognitive functioning and neurodevelopmental disorders in light of interhemispheric (callosal-related) functional connectivity using a developmental, transdiagnostic and multi-modal approach. This project will be conducted in a new research group led by DrSc Vanessa Siffredi, part of the Translational Machine Learning Lab headed by DrSc Jonas Richiardi. The project contains 2 main aims:
1) To identify associations between cognitive functioning, corpus callosum-related brain functional biomarkers and genetic variations in school-age children with and without a neurodevelopmental diagnosis, using multi-modal retrospective data from a large open database.
2) To examine cognitive functioning in school-age children (between 6 to 12-year-old) with typical and atypical development of the corpus callosum (e.g., agenesis of the corpus callosum) and its association with pre- and post-natal developmental trajectories of the corpus callosum. Longitudinal and multi- modal data will be collected in a unique clinical cohort at the Department of Radiology CHUV, including comprehensive cognitive, advanced structural and functional neuroimaging and genetic data.
The PhD candidate will be expected to implement and develop new methods to analyse open as well as newly acquired data, collect clinical paediatric data, present work at conferences and in journal publications, collaborate with local and international researchers, and to interact fruitfully with other lab members, clinicians, engineers, and radiologists. Doctoral school training and credits are also mandatory to graduate. The PhD thesis will be co-directed by DrSc Vanessa Siffredi, PhD (main supervisor), and directed by DrSc Jonas Richiardi, PhD.
Further information and application can be submitted here: